DESTINATIONS work placement on gamification in public transport

The first work placement between two CIVITAS DESTINATIONS partners recently took place in Funchal, Madeira. From 20-22 February 2018 a representative from the University of Malta (UoM) visited the Regional Agency for Research, Technological Development and Innovation of Madeira (ARDITI).

The visit focused on developing a mobile app to encourage tourists to use sustainable transport on Madeira and Malta, whilst also integrating the concept of green credits and the two islands' differences and similarities. Gamification would be the concept driving these attempts to instigate behavioural change.

ARDITI and UoM exchanged research and experiences on the requirements of and process involved in designing such an app. Both locations are currently working on measures related to gamification and a green credit system (MAD 6.1, MAD 6.2 and MAL 6.3). The knowledge transfer between the two partners focused on:

Applying gamification in mobility-related contexts (ARDITI-led);

Using apps for journey and trip planning in tourist destinations (UoM-led);

The design of location-based mobile apps, whilst taking into account the ethical implications of different strategies used to pinpoint the position of users (joint);

The dataset needed to provide mobility/gamified services (joint).

The placement served as a prime opportunity for both Malta and Madeira to deepen their understanding of designing gamified mobile apps. The UoM representative will now share the lessons learned with local project partners in Malta.

As both sides found the experience to be so enriching, there are already plans for an ARDITI employee to travel to Malta in the near future to build on the progress made during the first visit.

Both locations are currently working on measures related to gamification and a green credit system as part of their work with DESTNATIONS, with two in Madeira (link and link) and one in Malta (link).